Christian Misconceptions: Things Christians and Non-Christians need to know

    I've gone through a time where I'm trying to figure out how to market myself.  For quite a while, I was convinced that I didn't want to market myself as a Christian artist.  Why?  Well, because there are so many preconceptions that come with that, for everyone.  I personally have felt that things like Christian fiction (in film and other mediums) has been, for the most part, cliche and predictable.  Christian media in general, shy of some exceptions, has had an overall B or C grade stamped on it's forehead for a really long time, and in a lot cases, rightfully so.   
    I once heard somebody say, "Man, (a particular belief system) is crazy, but it sure turns out some really successful people/entertainers."  I'd like that to be able to be said about Christians more.  I heard a story about a Christian actor who went out into the world, staying on the foundation of his faith, and was getting great opportunities in the real world, on things like CSI and eventually in some big hollywood movies (a Will Smith movie from what I heard).  That's what I like to see, out there actually affecting the culture.  Even farther.  Bigger. So I've realized that, whether "Christian" goes on the genre label for me or not (and either way, I'm not offended) , it's really more about what I say with my life and music than how I'm marketed.  Because, I do love the world of Christian music and it's people, but I want to get out there and make a change in the world too, and not live in fear of it.  And I have bigger goals that most Christian artists that I've seen anyway.  To me, it's like if someone put "Christian Realtor" on their business card.  Is that really necessary? Or is it better to just be an awesome, titanic realtor who is open about the truth of Jesus and how He's the reason for their success in the world?  That seems much more practical to me.  For me, if could go to an FYE and find my music under the Christian music section, but also in the rock and pop bins, that'd be great.  At a Family Christian store just as likely as a Hot Topic.  That's what I'm talking about, because I think that's how you impact the world.

So, moving on with the idea of misconceptions.  There are a lot of ideas that have been propitiated by religious figures and others that really just need to be addressed.  Because whether you're a Christian or not, there are a lot of people walking around with ideas they got from somewhere that I find to just be the sources of a lot of problems for everyone, especially as a college student, media figure, etc.  In a series of blogs, I want to address these, and shed some light on them.  So, here is a list (but not an exhaustive one) of Christian misconceptions.    Because someone needs to say something.

-Christians aren't supposed to be rich
-"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away"
-God hates some people
-You need to clean yourself up before you can get right with God
-Being humble means being a wimp
-Christianity and Science are opposed, or can't coexist, or whatever
-God uses things like sickness and tragedy to teach us a lesson

Facebook blows up about this stuff all the time, and it's time someone talked about it.  So, do I have your attention?